Jane and Mascha met in 2002 through their proximity to the Jane Goodall Institute in Munich.
Jane Goodall learned about the AMAZONICA projects in the Amazon region of Ecuador and was particularly interested in Masha’s concept of involving and educating the indigenous population to protect the rainforest. Jane Goodall was aware of the need, but she had not yet had any experience of this strategy in Tanzania.
Until then, Jane Goodall had had great research success with chimpanzees, and she was equally concerned with biodiversity and conservation in general. She wanted to learn how to work with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, which AMAZONICA invited her to do. The joint visit to the Shuar and Achuar peoples took place in 2003 and was accompanied by the German Ambassador to Ecuador, Sepp Wölker.
Jane Goodall was very impressed by the indigenous people’s open-mindedness and their desire for knowledge and advice. She was touched by the friendly bond between the forest population and the aid organization AMAZONICA, the most important prerequisite for successful cooperation in the rainforest’s benefit.
The film footage of Masha’s journey with Jane Goodall is an excerpt from a larger documentary on the “AMAZONICA Games” project, a competition in traditional indigenous sports. This is why the video with Jane Goodall begins somewhat abruptly.
After the visit to the Shuar and Achuar, AMAZONICA organized several press conferences in the capital Quito, and Jane Goodall and Mascha Kauka spoke at a peaceful demonstration in the Plaza San Francisco in the historic center of Quito.
Topic: The dangers of oil extraction for people and nature in the rainforest.